Hands On Guitar Making Workshop
Do I need prior guitar making or woodworking experience?
How Many Days does it take to finish the Course?
How much time is committed to class each day?
Do I get to keep the guitar that I build?
Is this Guitar built from scratch or from a kit?
What woods are used in the course?
Do I need prior guitar making or woodworking experience?
No. Prior experience can help to give a greater context to the concepts taught in class, but it is not necessary.
Some students take the class having no prior guitar making or woodworking experience, whatsoever. There is nothing wrong with a blank slate! In many ways, this can actually be beneficial to learning.
Some have built an instrument or two at home and take the course in order to overcome certain struggles they are having. Some have built dozens of guitars, and some have taken other courses or worked with other builders.
And some take the class simply because they want to build a fine instrument that they can cherish and pass down to their kids for generations to come.
How Many Days does it take to finish the Course?
The course is 8 days and it usually runs from a Saturday to the following week’s Saturday. Plan on that last day being a full day.
How much time is committed to class each day?
Class usually begins at 8 am and ends anywhere from 6pm to 7:30pm. A typical day is 10 hours but it is not uncommon for a day to run longer, depending on how things go. The course is very intensive and there is ALOT of ground to cover in 8 days! We do, however, take a long lunch to recuperate every day, usually 45 min to an hour.
Do I get to keep the guitar that I build?
Of Course! You built it! It is your guitar!
Is this Guitar built from scratch or from a kit?
The guitar is built from scratch (Hence, the long “work” days!).
While building from a kit can be fun, and the novice can certainly learn a lot from a kit, it is more like an assembly job, and the student misses out on key practices and techniques. This is why I set up the course as a “from scratch” build.
*I do, however, prefabricate a few things before the class starts, just so that we are able to fit everything within the 8 day timeframe. Usually this means that the sides are bent, the fret slots are cut and the back plate is joined before the start of class.
While there is nothing wrong with building from a kit, it is simply not something that I do with my students. There are certainly other courses available out there that are more akin to a kit build, if that is what you’re looking for.
Is there a daily itinerary?
Not really. My methods of building and my methods of teaching are in a constant, slow state of flux, which means that my order of operations is in a constant slow state of flux as well. The best way to predict what we will be doing in a coming class is to visit the Student Photo Gallery and view the most recent class photos (Even better: Just call and ask!).
What woods are used in the course?
You choose from a variety of tonewoods. See this page https://www.ericschaeferguitars.com/acoustic-guitar-workshop-build-options/
Is lodging available?
Yes. On-site studio lodging is offered at $1,100 for the 8 days. The lodging is reserved for just one student. So book it early if you wish to lodge on-site. Otherwise, there are several hotels in the area.
